First day of third year.
When I woke up and went downstairs to the living room,
She was breastfeeding Lucy.
"Oh, good morning,
"Good morning, Sylphie."
Several months had passed since the baby was born, and her postpartum recovery had been smooth.
Both mother and child were healthy.
Lately, Sylphie had become noticeably more feminine.
Whether it was because her hair had grown longer, or because she'd given birth, or simply because of age catching up with her.
She was becoming a beauty worthy of a Hollywood actress.
Just sitting there quietly without doing anything, she looked like a flower on a distant peak—so lovely it almost made you hesitant to speak to her.
But the moment you did speak to her, she turned right back into the same clingy, affectionate Sylphie, and you felt relieved all over again.
"Lucy's full of energy today too."
I looked at Lucy.
Lucy was latched onto Sylphie's chest with single-minded devotion.
Just like me last night.
They really are parent and child, aren't they? Yeah.
Lucy was a healthy baby, but she was also a quiet one.
As expected, your own child really is something special compared to a younger brother or sister.
Every time something came up, I'd worry about illness or whatever, wrapped up in an indescribable sense of unease.
Each time, Sylphie or Lillia would chide me: "You're worrying too much."
While I was a worrier to the core, Lucy was growing like a weed.
She took after Sylphie in temperament and was not much of a crier.
But her body seemed robust enough.
Watching Lucy like that, Lillia said something that made my heart skip a beat.
*'She reminds me of Lord Rudeus when he was little.'* Reincarnator.
That word flashed through my mind.
I'd been a bit of a questionable person in my previous life too.
So I had some lingering worries.
What if this child was a reincarnator of some bad man?
Driven by that anxiety, I committed the atrocity of speaking to my daughter in Japanese and English.
Facing my newborn daughter, I'd whisper things like, "You've already figured it out, haven't you? That this is another world..." or "You are My Sunshine!! I am a pen!!"
What a ridiculous sight that must have been.
I had no proof, but I didn't think Lucy was a reincarnator.
When she heard my words, she'd just smile and babble back "aba" or "abu."
Or maybe she was hiding it, but there probably weren't that many adults who could convincingly act like a baby.
Even if she was, if she was desperately pretending to be a baby, wasn't that kind of adorable?
Yeah, Lucy was adorable.
I could spend all day beside her crib without getting bored.
Reincarnation or whatever—it didn't matter.
Even if Lucy's soul belonged to a reincarnator, I'd just raise her with all the love I could give.
The way Paolo had raised me.
"Our little one is just so cute today, isn't she?"
"Yep. How can she be this cute?"
"Probably because Mama's so cute."
I wrapped my arms around Sylphie's neck from behind and pulled her into an embrace.
I pretended to kiss the back of her head but instead buried my face in her hair.
A soft scent of milk wafted up.
Natural perfume.
"Hehe, thanks, Rudeus."
Sylphie rubbed my hand gently, smiling shyly.
Then she looked at
"Um... Roxy. How was Rudeus last night?"
Roxy flinched.
"...Eh? Ah. Well, he was very generous with me."
"Rudeus tends to get a little rough when it comes to that kind of thing. You weren't scared, were you?"
"No, not at all. It was only the second time, and Rudeus was gentle... though, somehow, I'm sorry about that."
"You don't need to apologize."
"...Is that so?"
"It is."
The two of them were still a little stiff with each other, but it wasn't tense.
They were keeping a good balance.
You could see the will from both sides to get along.
This kind of three-person relationship only worked when all three made an effort.
Sylphie in particular had it rough.
"Goooood moooorning, gooood moooorniiing! Breakfaaast is reaaady! ♪"
That was Aisha, singing as she came into the living room.
It was a terrible song.
She'd probably made it up on the spot.
Even the genius-talented Aisha had no gift for singing, apparently.
"Good morning, big brother and wives! Today's breakfast is pretty much the same as always!"
I looked, and there was green soup and white bread.
Also prepared was warmed mare's milk.
Around here, new mothers were given mare's milk to help with their milk production.
"Aisha. You need to properly explain the breakfast contents instead of being lazy about it."
The one who came in from behind Aisha was Lillia.
She'd apparently been in the kitchen too.
"Pea and potato soup with wheat bread!
And nutritious mare's milk!"
At Lillia's prompt, Aisha proudly announced the breakfast menu.
Of course, since we ate this stuff every day, we already knew what it was without asking.
But these formalities probably mattered in their own way.
"Very well. Then, please wait a moment."
Lillia nodded in satisfaction and headed upstairs.
"I've kept you waiting."
She quickly returned with Zenis.
When Zenis entered the living room, she stopped and stared at me.
Then, without a word, she took her seat.
"...Good morning, Mom."
Even after several months, Zenis's memories still hadn't returned.
However, she was changing little by little.
Especially when she was with
She'd pet Norn's head, or try to feed her by hand.
It was like the way you'd treat a two- or three-year-old child.
Did she perhaps have some lingering feelings about her own daughter after all?
Or were her memories slowly coming back?
I should probably wait and see a little longer.
"Well then, let's eat."
Breakfast was taken together by everyone.
Sylphie to my right, Roxy to my left.
Across the table sat Aisha, Lillia, and Zenis in a row.
If Norn had been here, she'd have sat next to Zenis.
I didn't remember ever assigning seats, but that was how it had ended up.
"Starting today, I'll be back at school too, so I'm counting on you with Lucy."
"Yes, Lady Sylphiette. Leave it to me."
Sylphie and I were both returning to school today.
I'd be a third-year, and Sylphie would be a sixth-year.
While we were at school, the children's care would be entrusted to Lillia and Aisha.
But Lucy was still an infant.
She couldn't survive without Mama's breast.
In that sense, I was practically an infant myself, but let's set that aside.
In any case, we'd hired a wet nurse.
A neighborhood woman named Suzanne—a mother of two and former adventurer.
She was an acquaintance of mine, but let's put a pin in her for now.
"Thank you for the meal."
Now then, off to school.
--- "Osu!"
"Good morning!"
"Hard work as always!"
"Good day, Boss!"
As soon as I set foot on school grounds, all sorts of strangers were greeting me left and right.
Every one of them looked like a rough customer.
Had I developed some kind of commanding presence?
Well, I was a father of one now, after all.
Even if I didn't really feel it myself.
"Yo!"
While I was thinking that, the roughest-looking one of them all greeted me.
"Boss. Good morning, nya."
"Fitz and Lady Roxy too, good morning, nya."
It was Linia and Pursena.
These two hadn't changed much even after becoming top-class students.
Linia was acting high and mighty as always, and Pursena was gnawing on something that looked like ham.
"So the Boss shows up to school with two women in tow first thing in the morning. Must be nice, nya."
"We leave you and you go bring a second wife. That's fucked, nya."
"We're graduating this year too, so we need to find someone, nya."
"Yeah. This year, we duel. We find a partner and head home to our hometown."
Their nostrils were flaring.
Apparently they were jealous of yours truly having my hands full with women.
Not jealous of Sylphie or Roxy being with me—jealous of me, a guy.
The boss of their pack.
Classic symptoms of New Leader Disease.
"Good luck, you two."
Sylphie was smiling too.
She'd started saying things like that as well.
Was it the confidence that came from having a man?
Sylphie had known the two of them for a long time and had a certain level of frankness with them.
"My apologies—I seem to have butted in."
But Roxy had apparently taken their words at face value.
She bowed her head to the two of them.
"Nya!?"
"Wha!?"
The moment she did, Linia and Pursena panicked visibly.
"A-ah, that's not what I meant, nya! I didn't say it in that way, nya!"
"Y-yeah, nya! We meant that our own charm is what's fucked, nya! We weren't criticizing Lady Roxy at all!"
The two of them were flapping their arms in a frantic apology.
Roxy was someone who deserved respect, so it was only natural, but it was still a little unsettling.
If it had been these two, they'd probably have taken one look at Roxy and said something like "We're way better than this shrimpy thing, nya!" or "Being a Demon Race is fucked, nya!"
If they said something like that, I wouldn't stand for it either.
"Fitz has it tough too, but she'll manage, nya."
"The opponent is a bit rough, but if it's Fitz, she can handle it, nya."
After a thorough apology, the two gave Sylphie's shoulders a light pat.
"Eh?"
"You should get the second wife trained up quickly, nya."
"Establish yourself as the top dog, nya."
"What are you talking about?"
Sylphie thought about it for a moment, then went "Ah," and made a troubled face.
"Um, Rudeus definitely loves me too, you know?"
Linia and Pursena made a show of sniffling.
"Ugh, so brave, nya."
"Truly tear-jerking. Fitz is the type who fades into the background, so with three or four wives, she'd slowly get pushed to the windowsill. It's a tough break."
They were saying whatever they wanted.
I had no intention of adding a third or fourth, and even if I did, I'd never push Sylphie to the windowsill.
I would never neglect the Sylphie who had staked her own body to help me.
Well, sure, the Roxy incident might have made her feel bad.
"Wh-what? That's not true at all... Right, Rudeus?"
Behind those sunglasses, her expression was unreadable.
But her voice sounded uneasy.
Deep down, maybe Sylphie was worried too.
I needed to reassure her.
"Obviously."
I hugged Sylphie tight.
I rubbed her back and declared my love.
This was the kind of thing you should say clearly in front of others.
"I love Sylphie!"
The instant I made that bold declaration, applause erupted from the surrounding students.
Sylphie turned crimson all the way to her ears, buried in my arms.
"W-wait, Rudeus. Not this at school."
"You're the one who asked."
"Th-then, you should say the same thing to Roxy too, okay?"
I looked, and Roxy was gazing up at me.
"...No, I'm fine, really."
Her eyes were full of expectation.
Without a moment's hesitation, I pulled Roxy in with my left hand.
Roxy in my left arm, Sylphie in my right.
Ah, amazing—so this is what having both hands full felt like.
"I love both of you!"
Some students booed.
Probably Milis faithful.
Whatever. We don't share the same religion, so I don't care.
I'm not going to butt into your business either.
But being the center of attention had left Sylphie's face beet red.
"M-m fine! I-I'm going ahead to Lady Ariel's place!"
"Yeah. Let's meet at lunch, Sylphie."
"And at school, call me Fitz!"
Right, that was the arrangement.
I'd almost forgotten after nearly a year away from school.
Though honestly, I didn't think she needed to keep up the male disguise anymore.
Anyone who looked at her would see nothing but a beautiful woman in men's clothing.
Not that being a beautiful cross-dresser wasn't a look in its own right.
"Well then, I'll head to the staff room as well."
Watching Sylphie dash off, Roxy pulled away from me.
"Go ahead, Roxy."
"Oh, and at school, please do call me Ms. Roxy properly."
She wanted to keep work and personal life separate.
I understood that.
But that was right—starting today, Roxy was a female teacher.
A female teacher.
What a nice ring to it. Last night's activities came flooding back.
...How long could you rent out the gym storage room for, anyway?
And then it suddenly hit me.
"Um, Ms. Roxy?"
"What is it, Rudeus?"
Roxy looked up at me with a sharp, composed expression.
"Since today's the first day, don't teachers have an early morning assembly or something?"
"Ahh!"
Roxy let out the yelp she always made when she messed up.
Her face went deathly pale.
"S-sorry! I need to go, right now!"
Roxy took off at a dead sprint toward the staff room.
It seemed she'd gotten the schedule slightly mixed up.
Thinking about it, that was only natural.
There was no way a student and a teacher could follow the same schedule.
"Well then, shall we head to class too?"
"Nya."
"We'll accompany you, nya."
I set off toward my classroom with a dog and cat as my escort.
Today was a homeroom day.
But even with my wife gone, both my hands were still full.
Was I in my prime?
Still, I wasn't going to make a move on Linia or Pursena.
Hah. Being a man was tough.
"Oh, I heard a rumor, nya."
Suddenly, Linia pricked up her ears and turned to face me.
Her eyes were brimming with curiosity.
"A rumor?"
"That's right, nya. The rumor that you fought a great enemy so fearsome it cost you your left arm, nya."
"Oh, that..."
Come to think of it, I'd only told those two about our return and about Roxy becoming a teacher.
The one who got the full details was probably
Did he leak it to someone?
Or maybe
"As expected of the Boss, nya! Going all the way to the Demon Continent, fighting one of the Seven Great Powers, and sacrificing your left arm for victory!"
"Huh!?"
What was that?
Seven Great Powers!?
Where had that terrifying word come from?
"And apparently, the enemy fled on its last legs. Amazing, nya."
"Hold on, hold on, hold on."
What was this?
How had rumors gotten so distorted?
I really wished they'd stop.
And what if the distortion kept growing until the story said I'd beaten one of the Seven Great Powers to a pulp?
What if the real Seven Great Powers heard about that?
Like if
"That's why, starting now, I'm going to spread this epic tale of the Boss far and—gieeeek!"
I grabbed Linia's tail and yanked it hard.
She tried to scratch me with her claws extended, but I dodged using the Magic Eyes.
Linia clutched her tail, eyes watering, and glared at me.
"Don't pull on a maiden's tail, nya!"
I glared right back.
"Don't add embellishments to rumors and spread them."
"Huh!? A-ah, I-I'm sor-nya-rry!"
These two had a prior record, after all.
The rumor that I was impotent.
Well, that one was fine.
It was rooted in truth, after all.
But this was different.
This one was dangerous.
In the worst case, I could die.
Not a good rumor to have.
"We heard it from Zanoba."
That was Pursena, chiming in.
"The Boss fought a Hydra that magic couldn't touch. He said that if he'd been there, the great and mighty left hand of his master might not have had to be lost."
"That's right, nya. But we were genuinely impressed, you know. So we thought we'd spread the word about how awesome the Boss is..."
"I didn't ask for that."
Sure, maybe I had gotten a little stronger.
But at the end of the day, when it really counted, I was still the kind of guy who acted without thinking and screwed up.
I didn't need that kind of high praise.
"But even if we don't do anything, all sorts of rumors are already flying because people saw that your left hand is a prosthetic, nya."
"Yeah, nya. It wouldn't make a difference if we said a little extra, nya."
"..."
I was apparently one of the more well-known people at this school, so rumors like this were probably inevitable.
But the Seven Great Powers angle had to go.
I could still vividly remember what Orsted did to me.
"What other rumors are there, then?"
"There are a few, nya."
When I asked for details, *'Fought the Death God,'* or *'Single-handedly held back a horde of a million magical beasts,'* or *'Succeeded in an ancient spell but lost his hand from the backlash'* —all sorts of baseless rumors were apparently circulating.
Outrageous rumors would die down on their own, presumably.
"Hmm..."
Come to think of it, the Seven Great Powers were probably used to this kind of thing.
Famous people got rumors made about them for every little win or loss.
A few rumors floating around school probably wouldn't bother them.
"Fine. I'm sorry about the tail pulling."
"Humans can't understand this pain, nya. A maiden's tail—that's unforgivable, nya."
"I'll buy you some fish next time."
"Ooh, lucky! Sometimes it pays to throw a fit, nya."
"I want meat!"
Chattering away with Linia and Pursena, I made my way to the classroom.
--- Homeroom was the same as always.
Five of us, sitting sparsely around me.
Zanoba, fiddling with his puppets.
Linia, filing her claws.
Pursena, eating meat.
And Cliff, reading a book and studying.
Ginger was standing behind them, but let's put her aside.
This scene had become so familiar.
The thought that two of these people would be gone in just one more year was hard to process.
Linia and Pursena were graduating this year.
Well, one more year remained.
One year would fly by in an instant, though.
"By the way, Rudeus."
Cliff suddenly looked up from his book.
"Couldn't you have come by to say hello at my place too?"
He seemed displeased.
Come to think of it, in the months since I'd returned, I hadn't seen Cliff once.
Today was the first time.
"My apologies, Senior Cliff. The first time I went by, you seemed busy with Elinalise. So I held back."
"Ugh. I see. Well, I suppose Elinalise and I were together for a while after that.
Mm, if that's the case, it can't be helped. I suppose I share some of the blame."
Cliff backed down gracefully.
Still, Ariel aside, the people around here really got bent out of shape over one missed greeting.
Adventurers were way more laid-back about things.
"However, if you've had a child, you could have at least said something.
I'm still in training, but I could have offered a blessing at the very least."
"...You're right."
"Ah, no—I'm sorry. You're not a Milis follower, so you don't need a blessing.
But lately you've been avoiding me entirely, haven't you?
I know you're busy with childcare, but you could have come by the research lab at least once. You'd have had time for that, wouldn't you?"
Now that he mentioned it, I probably had been avoiding him.
I had a reason not to want to see Cliff.
Needless to say, it was about Roxy.
Two wives, and Cliff was a Milis follower.
He probably wouldn't take it well.
"Or is there some other reason you don't want to see me?
If there is, I'd very much like to hear it from your own lips."
Cliff was being especially persistent today.
He'd probably heard the full details from Elinalise.
But knowing Elinalise, she'd probably said something like: *'As a follower, this is unforgivable, I'm sure—but if you can be magnanimous about it, it will make you look all the more magnanimous, Cliff.'* Of course, I didn't need Cliff's permission to marry Roxy.
But being on bad terms with Cliff over not getting his approval wouldn't be fun either.
Might as well dance in the palm of Elinalise's hand.
I'd say my piece, Cliff would forgive me, and then I'd praise his magnanimity.
Cliff would feel great about himself.
Nobody loses.
Alright, I'm a dancer. Time to sing and dance and say "pooh."
"The thing is..."
"Excuse me."
The classroom door opened, cutting me off mid-sentence.
Two people entered.
The same teachers who always handled our special class homeroom.
What was the teacher's name again?
Oh well.
The person who followed him in was a lovely young girl.
Dressed in a robe, with sleepy half-lidded eyes and an unfriendly expression that was just slightly tense.
The kind of girl who always tried her hardest no matter what.
The kind of girl you just wanted to pull into a hug.
Wait, that was Roxy.
"Everyone, today I'd like to introduce the new assistant homeroom teacher for this special class."
"My name is Roxy M.
Roxy stepped forward and bowed with a little curtsy.
Zanoba and the others stared with blank expressions.
The teacher continued without paying them any mind.
"She belongs to a race that makes her appear quite young, but she's actually over fifty.
She seems to have connections with the members of this class, so she'll be taking charge of this room.
She'll serve as assistant teacher for the time being, but starting next year, she'll formally be this class's teacher—so please be prepared for that."
"Nya! What about Mr. Sampson?!"
Linia asked, and the teacher nodded "Yes."
Apparently this teacher's name was Mr. Sampson.
Neither muscular nor gay.
The kind of person whose defining feature was having no defining feature.
"I'll be returning to my hometown next year. There are no more relatives of mine in this special class."
"Now that you mention it, where did Senpai Ren go?"
"My sister joined the Magic Knight Order of the Neris Royal Kingdom. I hear she's doing well.
But leave her alone and who knows what she'll do, so..."
"Nya-roasted."
This was something I learned later, but apparently the homeroom teacher for the special class was often someone who had personal ties to the special students.
It was probably because the special students themselves were such eccentric people.
Ideally, someone who could serve as a rein—or a leash—was assigned.
The current teacher, Mr. Sampson, was a relative of a senior who had graduated in a swap with Cliff.
That senior was reportedly a member of the royal family of Neris, one of the three great magic nations, and possessed extraordinary magical talent.
Linia and Pursena had told me they owed her a great deal.
In any case, Roxy, who had ties to both me and Zanoba, was the ideal candidate.
Roxy stepped forward, surveyed the room, and spoke.
"I imagine many of you have already been introduced to me.
My name is Roxy M. Greyrat.
I am the second wife of Rudeus Greyrat, who is sitting over there.
The way a teacher interacts with students will be different from personal relationships, but I look forward to working with all of you."
"..."
Cliff was scowling.
The phrase 'second wife'—he'd probably have preferred to hear that from my own mouth.
And he'd probably have wanted to accept Roxy without any fuss.
But that plan had just been upended.
"Um, Senior Cliff..."
"Oh. A second wife, is it? Do you have no sense of decency whatsoever?"
The moment I addressed him, the lecture began.
"No, I suppose I was a bit lacking in that department."
"That day, I blessed you because you said you'd love only Sylphie, you know?"
"Yes, and I'm extremely grateful for that."
"Of course, I know you're not a Milis follower, so I won't say anything more. Actually, no—congratulations. Truly."
"Thank you."
Cliff snorted.
"I run into your sister at the local church now and then.
She told me she hopes to someday become a couple as loving as you and Sylphie.
I wonder what she said to you about bringing a second wife?"
"She was angry."
"I'd expect so. She prayed every single day for you and your father's safe return.
The fact that you came back alive was a cause for great joy in itself."
"But in the end, she forgave me."
"Well, of course she'd forgive you eventually. She wouldn't want to keep opposing you forever and get thrown out of the house."
"...I would never throw her out."
"Of course not, not you. But put yourself in the shoes of someone weaker.
After losing her father, you're the only person she can cling to.
I think you should all be a little more considerate of how Norn feels."
"Yes."
"Increasing your number of wives too much isn't a good thing.
Women aren't collectibles, you know."
That stung.
And he sounded just like a priest.
Cliff was downright intimidating today.
"Yes... um, Senior Cliff."
"What is it, Rudeus?"
There was something I'd heard earlier that I hadn't addressed, so I said my thanks.
"You've been spending time with Norn, haven't you? Thank you for that."
"...I just happened to run into her at the church, so I saw her off and picked her up.
Oh, and don't let a small child like that go out alone.
The neighborhood is safe enough, but there are child traffickers in the back alleys."
"I'll keep that firmly in mind."
"Good. If you're truly reflecting on your mistakes, then I'll forgive your sins.
Milis is a merciful deity, after all."
"Thank you very much."
I was forgiven.
So this had been a kind of confession after all.
But he was right—I probably hadn't been attentive enough to Norn.
From now on, I'd be twice as kind to her as before.
"Well then, now that we've finished that conversation, let's move on to announcements—"
Once Cliff's lecture was done, Mr. Sampson resumed homeroom.
Beside him, Roxy stood looking painfully uncomfortable.
I sent her a quick wink, and she let out a small laugh before whispering "Behave."
--- The rest of the day followed the usual pattern.
Checking in on Zanoba and Cliff, helping with the star-guided project, and using my free time to research absorption magic stones or work on making books.
I was as busy as ever.
Those simpler days when I only did one or two things a day felt like a distant memory.
The one minor change was after classes let out—specifically, the free time after school.
Before, that had been when I taught Norn her studies. Now it had shifted to swordsmanship training.
I worried that learning swordplay might hurt her grades, but she'd declared she'd work hard on that front too, so I figured I'd watch and see for now.
As long as she had motivation, I should let her run with it.
But let's put all of that aside for now.
After school, I'd pick up Sylphie and Roxy, and the three of us would walk home together.
When Sylphie had night duties, just Roxy and me.
When Roxy was stuck in a staff meeting or something, just me alone.
Sometimes I'd walk home with Norn or someone else.
Today it was just Sylphie and me.
Walking hand in hand with Sylphie, chatting about this and that on the way home.
Mostly about school.
Since it was a new term, the student council had apparently added new members too.
"You should join, Rudeus."
"I don't have time for that."
We flirted back and forth like that as we made our way home.
"I'm home!"
When I walked in the door, Aisha tackled me with a hug.
"Welcome home, big brother! Dinner, bath, or... m・e?"
Where had she learned a line like that?
Wait—had I taught her that?
No, I couldn't have. I'd taught it to Sylphie.
Anyway, I chose "me" and tickled her under the arms, which sent Aisha squealing and running off, only to get bonked on the head by Lillia.
Then it was bath time.
Aisha had included "bath" as one of the options, but the bath wasn't ready yet.
Dinner was still being prepared too.
So really, the only option had been "me."
Oh well.
Fortunately, Aisha had already cleaned the bath during the day.
All it took was filling it with hot water, which was done in an instant.
Bath time usually involved company.
An unspoken rule had somehow emerged that in our household, the bath should be taken in pairs.
Which country's custom was that, anyway?
Well, it didn't matter.
Today I bathed with Aisha.
She was already eleven years old, yet she was completely unself-conscious and seemed to lack any sense of shame whatsoever.
If she had a conversation with a boy in the middle of puberty, he'd definitely get the wrong idea.
"Aisha, when you take a bath, cover yourself with a cloth."
"Why?"
"Modesty."
"Okaaay."
In terms of propriety and bashfulness, Aisha could stand to take a page from Norn's book.
That said, having a little sister really was something.
She'd wedge her body between my legs while I washed, telling me "Wash my back" and "Wash my hair," and it was all incredibly endearing.
If I were the type to be aroused by her, I'd have proposed making her my third wife and started a whole new battlefield.
If Sylphie or Roxy pulled the same thing, I'd probably lose all self-control in an instant.
Though with those two, there wasn't really any need for self-control in the first place.
Anyway, it was a heartwarming sibling bonding time.
While we scrubbed each other down, I asked her about her day at home.
Lucy had been cute.
Zenis had paid attention to her.
Lillia had dozed off by the window.
She'd planted a new plant in the garden.
Just idle little stories.
Oh right—I'd given Aisha those rice seeds, asking her to try cultivating them if it seemed possible.
She'd given me a reliable answer: "I'll try planting them once it gets a little warmer."
With Aisha's genius-level talent, she'd definitely grow rice for me.
I was already looking forward to it.
"I'm home!"
After I got out of the bath and Roxy returned, we sat down for dinner.
Today was stewed river fish with bread, beans, and potatoes.
In other words, the same as always.
"Thanks for the meal."
After dinner, I sat quietly watching Sylphie nurse Lucy.
Lucy was a quiet baby, but she ate well.
Would she grow up to be chubby, I wondered?
I couldn't picture Sylphie's daughter getting wide like that, though.
Once she was old enough, I'd have her exercise. Yeah.
After dinner, we spent a relaxed evening together.
I taught Aisha magic, and Roxy went to her room to prepare the next day's lessons.
Sylphie was rocking Lucy to sleep, though sometimes she'd practice magic too.
The armadillo Jiro would wander over, so sometimes we gave him attention.
Incidentally, it seemed Aisha was the one taking care of Jiro.
She'd trained him well, and lately he'd become as loyal as a watchdog.
"Well then, I'll take my leave. Good night."
"Good niight."
Zenis and Lillia retired early.
Aisha went to bed early too—once she'd finished her studies, it was straight to sleep.
"Now then... Sylphie."
After everyone had settled in for the night, I invited my wife to the bedroom.
"Okay..."
Sylphie blushed and gave the hem of my shirt a tiny pinch.
When she did something like that, that was it—my limits were gone.
I scooped her up and carried her princess-style to the bedroom.
And then came the wonderful nighttime hours.
After our hearts and bodies were both fully satisfied, I held my petite wife like a body pillow and drifted into deep sleep.
--- Before sleeping.
Once my wife had settled down, I slipped out of bed.
My destination was the basement.
I crept down the stairs with the lightest steps I could manage.
At the bottom, I checked behind me over and over before opening the hidden door.
There, unmistakably, was the altar.
And there, enthroned upon it, were the sacred objects.
A cloth.
And another cloth.
Each was a divine instrument for worshipping the gods.
And so I prayed quietly once more today.
School Rumors, Part 2 "The Head Delinquent's Eyes Glow"